Last year was obviously challenging for our surgery center. The staff was physically and emotionally exhausted from working in one of COVID-19's first national hot spots, and sorely needed the annual holiday dinner...

We purchased four rolling desks that are used in our pre-op/PACU area. Staff like the adjustable surface, which lets them sit or stand while working. Each desk has plenty of storage space and a shelf where staff often keep...

We send patients home with blue neck pillows made from memory foam for ergonomic support and personalized handwritten notes from their surgeons. Some patients have lengthy drives awaiting them after surgery,...

Patients were already a bit nervous when they would arrive for their endoscopies or colonoscopies, and we noticed that sitting in the waiting room watching the news would often stress them out more. We thought, why not get rid...

To help our surgeons find their patients quickly and easily in recovery, we hung a series of color-coded flags on the wall outside each bay. The series of flags are screwed into the wall, allowing us to flip one out as needed....

You can use ultrasound to identify landmarks and assist in the placement of an epidural, but it does not guarantee the catheter will end up in the epidural space. That's why loss-of-resistance training for the gold standard...

You're on mute." Yeah, I'm that guy on Microsoft Teams. You'd think that after nine months of remote meetings I'd remember to toggle on my mic when it's my turn to speak....

If you want to reduce foot traffic in operating rooms — traffic that can lead to increased surgical site infections, distractions, airflow disturbances and decreased efficiency — slide a Do Not Enter sign in laminated holders...

Leadership at our facility believes in hiring the best people possible — then letting them do their jobs. To make this happen, we don't employ traditional pecking orders or a typical hierarchical structure. Medical reps talk...

Hand hygiene has always been important, but COVID-19 has caused us all to refocus on doing it right. To make sure our staff is keeping up with this important task, we perform a fun exercise with Glo Germ, a lotion that glows...

To keep your entire staff abreast of the ever-changing guidelines and directives related to COVID-19, make sure the latest information is easily accessible to everyone. When the coronavirus started spreading quickly,...

Monthly one-on-one talks with each of my staff members gives them the chance to speak about any issues they have and talk openly about whatever subject they choose to discuss. The meetings are brief check-ins...

Portable handheld ultrasound probes that attach to smartphones are one of many tools that make practicing regional anesthesia an easier task, but the probe and the smartphone often gets dirty while in use....

In order to connect with patients and give them an experience that is second to none, we follow a process called FORD (family, occupation, recreation and dreams). It all begins with a staff member's first meeting or phone call...

We’ve developed a sign system to alert staff and physicians about a patient’s risk factors such as allergies, falls, insulin dependence and skin tears. The signs are printed with large, upper-case lettering, laminated and clipped...

Love the efficiency of your facility's single-cup coffeemaker but hate the waste generated by all those leftover cups? Purchase a coffee pod recycling tool that allows you to easily separate the grounds from the recyclable pod...

We invite patients and staff to recognize members of the team who demonstrate one of our medical center's core values — respect, teamwork, service, honesty — by submitting a card describing the good deed...

About seven years ago, we decided to transform some of our staff and patient spaces into "Zen dens" — areas that inspire calm and mindfulness. One of our nurses, Darlene Faust, RN, happened to have hidden...

The PowerPoint deck displayed on one of the flat screen monitors in our lobby runs on a loop and includes answers to commonly asked patient questions and bios of staff and surgeons. The bios include traditional...

Marking trash bags with an OR's room number is a simple way to shorten the search for misplaced instruments. No matter how many instrument counts take place...